


Curses and Complications

by oceansgrey



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Magic, Curses, F/M, Familiars, M/M, Naruto Magic Week 2019, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-08
Updated: 2019-07-08
Packaged: 2020-06-24 09:24:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19720843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/oceansgrey/pseuds/oceansgrey
Summary: "No one goes to the witch’s home that is guarded by crows, their beady red eyes glaring down at trespassers if anyone dares attempt to get close. Thoughts about the witch’s appearance are hushed whispers amongst the townsfolk, and few actually know what he looks like."Kisame gets a curse put on him and he seeks out the help from a witch.He doesn't expect to fall in love, but he does.





	Curses and Complications

**Author's Note:**

> I was late for Naruto Magic Week 2019, but I got this idea and wanted to write it out for the last day!  
> (also men can be witches and anyone who says otherwise I don't know what to tell you)

No one goes to the witch’s home that is guarded by crows, their beady red eyes glaring down at trespassers if anyone dares attempt to get close. Thoughts about the witch’s appearance are hushed whispers amongst the townsfolk, and few actually know what he looks like.

One alchemist with bright red hair and an apprentice with a penchant for exploding every single potion he makes knows but stares down anyone who askes with blank eyes.

“He won’t want to talk to you,” Sasori said bleakly. “Your best bet is to turn around and go back the way you came,”

Kisame frowned, shouldering his pack against his back.

“He might let you in if you offer him some sweets, hm,” Deidara offered, leaning across the counter. “He’s got a bit of a sweet tooth. And a fondness of sweet teas. Here,”

Sasori made a face as Deidara all but jumped over the counter, startling their visitor. He scoured through the many shelves of Sasori’s shop, looking for just the right container.

“That witch is a bit of a jerk, hm,” Deidara talked mostly to himself as Kisame peered over his shoulder. “Got me with a curse for accidentally blowing up one of his messenger crows. I didn’t mean to, but the thing was pecking me,”

“Don’t mind him. He could talk forever,” Sasori said from the counter, already pulling out a bag. “Just ignore him. That’s what I do,”

“Hey!” Deidara’s protest fell on his lips as soon as he found the containers he wanted, a big smile on his face. “Here. If you mix these herbs together, it makes a very sweet tea. He’ll enjoy it, and then he might not want to incinerate you where you’re standing,”

“Is he that bad?” Kisame asked.

“Nah, but he acts pompous, so he might give you a hard time,” Deidara shrugged, bringing the jars of herbs up to the counter. He began to work on filling the satchel Sasori had pulled out, humming along as Kisame shifting from foot to foot as he waited.

“What’s a swordsman doing looking for a witch anyway?” Sasori asked, eyebrow quirked.

“It’s personal,”

“Ah,”

Kisame waited until Deidara was finished, paying for the herbs and he was ready to go on his way.

“Hey, if you stay around a bit, make sure to go visit the bakery! You won’t regret it,” Deidara said, waving him off. Sasori rolled his eyes and waved his hand so the door would swing shut behind Kisame.

The road towards the witch’s house was through the main portion of town, then a ways into the woods. Kisame knew from hearing stories of those who tried to go see the witch that there was a pond nearby, and one adventurer had peeked in while the witch was bathing and had his eyes taken from their sockets as punishments.

He found himself walking into the bakery, nervous energy bouncing around in his stomach at the prospect of going after the witch he’d been seeking out for a month now.

“Shit!”

The sudden burst of expletive language startled the swordsman as a pale man with wide violet eyes jumped near him, shaking his hand madly.

“Damn it, Kakuzu!” he screamed. “Why did you put the mimic where we keep the goddamn dish rags?”

“Leave it alone, you idiot!” the man Kisame could only assume to be Kakuzu shouted from the counter as he balanced a tray of freshly baked rolls. “You’re lucky you can’t die, or else I’d feed you to it already!”

“Who’re you?” the man asked Kisame, eyebrow raised as he still held his bleeding hand.

“I’m here to buy some sweets,” Kisame said, the words feeling more of a question.

“Fine,” the man rolled his eyes, heading back over to the counter. “What’d ya want?”

Kisame regretted walking into the shop the minute he felt something brush up against his leg. Startled, he looked down at four small black familiars, each with a distinct mask marking where its’ face should be.

“Don’t mind the familiars, or Hidan,” Kakuzu said, coming over to shoo his familiars away. “Suiton, Futon, leave him be. Raiton, don't you dare go near those rolls,”

The masks with dark and light blue markings wandered away, the yellow masked one sniffing off into the direction of the baked goods. The red marked familiar stuck close to Kakuzu, putting itself in between Kisame and it's master, growling slightly.

“Katon,” he grumbled, trying to shoo the familiar away from his legs. “I’m Kakuzu. That idiot is Hidan. I’m the owner. Sorry about Hidan. He doesn’t have much brain cells,”

“Hey, I heard that!” Hidan shouted from the bakery case, still scanning the sweets. “What kind of cake do you want, asshole?”

Kisame blinked, a bit taken aback by his brashness. Looking at the case, he pondered. What kind of flavors did the witch like? If he messed up, he could be returning back to Kiri as some sort of hideously cursed monster or he might never make it back home at all. Then again, Kisame thought, he already was technically half shark, and that was enough to make him feel like a hideous beast, so whatever choice he made really had no bad consequence other than death.

“The-”

“You’re going to see the witch, aren’t you?” Kakuzu asked, sighing. “Here. I’ll get his order for you,”

“How did you know?”

“These old eyes can see anything,” Kakuzu said as he wandered back over into the kitchen. He emerged a few minutes later with a neatly wrapped container of fresh dango. “That’ll be six gold pieces,”

“Six? That’s a handful,” Kisame said, pulling out his wallet.

“Hey, I make the prices,” Kakuzu said. “Pay up,”

With a bag of herbs and container of the witch’s favorite sweets, Kisame trekked off to go into the forest behind the town. He felt the familiar weight of his sword resting against his back, calm enough to navigate and eager enough to get the help he wanted.

The trees seemed to grow immaculately tall in this region, much different than home. The air was dry and crisp, the shade of the trees hiding the hot sun of Fire country. Brambles of thorny bushes grew in the way of the path, easily overstepped or maneuvered around. The flora of the woods seemed to cover every space, Kisame passing through patches of wild herbs and meadows full of blooming flowers.

The trees got thicker and more close-knit as he went deeper into the woods, the shade enough to darken the area around him. A crow cawed off to his left, disturbing the eerie quiet. The crow took off and following after it was at least a dozen other crows, their cacophony of caws fading as they flew off.

Kisame kept walking, determined to get to the witch’s house before nightfall. He wasn’t prepared if he needed to sleep in the woods and he certainly did not want to try to fend off unfamiliar fauna.

At least in Kiri, he only had to worry about going into the ocean and being lured by sirens.

Or betrayal.

It felt like he had been walking in circles for hours when he finally saw the cottage, the small home a short distance away from the clearwater pond Kisame had stopped to rest at. Shrouded by large willow trees, the stone home appeared cozy, smoke billowing up from the chimney and the smell of herbs and burning wood in the air as Kisame got closer.

The door was right in front of him, and he had a sudden feeling of dread that pooled in his stomach. He should turn back, run as fast as he could to Kiri. There was still the possibility he could die a noble death, even if-

The door swung open before Kisame could raise his fist to knock.

Before him stood a man smaller than him, dressed in what appeared to be robes, navy before fading into a crimson as the fabric moved, an enchanter’s cloak wrapped tightly over it. Ebony hair fell over slender, bird-like shoulders. Piercing red eyes glared up at him, enrapturing him, eyes wise far beyond their age. He was beautiful, with a slender face and pale as moonlight. He looked dangerous, and that made Kisame want to know him even more than before.

“What do you want?” the witch asked, and his voice was just as smooth as Kisame anticipated it to be. “You shouldn’t be here,”

“I’ve come to see you,” Kisame said, and he remembered the tea and dango. “I brought-”

“Sasori sent you to pester me about that potion, didn’t he?” the witch tutted. “Tell him I’ll deliver it when I finish it. Thank you,”

The witch moved to shut the door, and before Kisame realized that he was moving, he put his hand on the frame.

“I-”

The witch stared at him with a blank expression, the tomoe within his eyes shifting to appear like a pinwheel. Kisame felt a shiver run down his spine as he made eye contact, suddenly paralyzed.

“I said leave,” he reiterated. The witch closed his eyes, and Kisame felt his body relax.

“I need your help,” Kisame said, watching the intrigue light up on the witch’s face.

“You brought tea?” he said, eyeing the bags in Kisame’s hand. “Fine. Come in, but remove your shoes and cloak before you even contemplate sitting on my furniture,”

The witch turned his back, walking further into the house. Lights seemed to flicker on with every step the witch took. The home looked small and comfortable, and from what Kisame saw the hall was lined with bookshelves stuffed full of bound books. The witch kept walking until he paused, turning on his heel to look at Kisame.

Kisame felt frozen in place as he looked at the witch, who folded his arms across his chest.

“Well?”

That was the only incentive he needed before he was shucking off his cloak, eager to head in after.

The witch was an odd one.

Crow’s feet hung from his ears, wrapped neatly in wire with little stone clinking against the petrified talons. Kisame watched from his seat at the witch’s small kitchen table as the witch moved around the kitchen with fluid movement, carefully blowing fire to light the stove for the tea, a dango stick in hand as he savored the sweet treat. A crow had perched itself onto his shoulder, a little one barely an adult, nuzzled close to the witch’s neck as it gently pecked at its owner’s ear.

“Koto, please, I’ll feed you after I make tea,” the witch said softly before turning around to lean against the counter. “I’m sorry, I haven’t caught your name. Who are you, and why are you truly here?”

“My name is Kisame, and I was told by my friend that you could help me,”

“Oh? What friend would that be?”

“Obito,”

The witch scoffed.

“Of course my cousin would send you,” he murmured. “What do you want, though?”

“I was cursed, and it would be very nice if you could undo it,”

The witch shrugged his shoulders slightly.

“I’ll see what I can do. But, I’ll need more information, and I’ll need to think of a form of payment,” he said. “I don’t just do things out of the kindness of my heart, if I had one,”

The joke hung in the air as the kettle on the stove hissed. The witch carefully poured two cups of the tea Kisame had purchased before settling down across from him at the table.

“Tell me,”

_“Oh, dear, you look so miserable!” Mei said, placing a hand on Kisame’s cheek. “What’s the matter? You look so lonely,”_

_Kisame shrugged her off, feeling the ache of his last fight Yagura had sent him to sink into his bones. He was so tired working for the turtle wizard. Yagura was running him ragged with chasing after political opponents and cutting them down. The Mist was starting to feel less and less like home, and more like a tyranny._

_He didn’t voice this to his sorceress friend, though, but Mei always had something up her sleeve._

_“I just want the truth,” Kisame finally said once Mei decided to cling to his side like a barnacle. “Leave me alone,”_

_“I can think of a spell for that, dear,” she winked. “Give me an hour,”_

_With a searing hot kiss on the cheek, Mei bounded off, a skip in her step. Kisame shook his head, a fond smile on his face as he watched his dear friend go. She was always excited to test out her magic on anyone, and he was usually the unlucky candidate. The last spell she messed up had enchanted his sword to the point where it was sentient, Samehada always chittering or growling quietly at his back whenever it got hungry. Samehada ate almost as much food as Kisame did, and that meant double the cost._

_Well, there was work to be done._

_Kisame trudged back to Yagura’s palace, ignoring the screams of those he had captured as he made his way into the library, where Yagura usually holed himself up._

_As expected, the turtle wizard was leaning on his staff, staring into a cauldron of bubbling liquid._

_“Kisame,” Yagura turned. “I’ve been waiting for you,”_

_“I apologize, Yagura,”_

_Yagura narrowed his eyes, taking in his bloodstained swordsman._

_“I fear you’ll raise that sword to me one day,” he said, eyeing him warily. “Come here, I need you to taste this for me,”_

_Kisame walked closer, watching Yagura pull out a glass bottle. He scooped the glowing green liquid into it, holding it out and watching with the eye of a hawk as Kisame drank it in one go._

_Kisame immediately erupted into a coughing fit, clutching his chest as he tried to breathe. His lungs screamed at the lack of air, and his chest ached as his heart rammed against his ribcage._

_“You were always my most loyal, yet you killed my second-in-command,” Yagura said, watching as Kisame fell to the floor, wheezing. “Get out of Kiri, now. I’m being generous and giving you a starting run,”_

_Forcing himself to his feet, Kisame ran._

_He had stopped at his small home to take a few things before leaving, rushing through in an attempt to grab everything important that he would need._

_“Kisame!” Mei’s voice rang throughout the house as she opened the door. “I got it- oh, what’s this?”_

_“I have to leave,” Kisame said, shoving a spare cloak into his pack. “Now,”_

_Mei frowned._

_“Why?”_

_“Yagura’s banishing me,”_

_Mei hummed in response, stopping her friend._

_“Here,” she placed a small necklace into the palm of his hand, the lapis carved with small runes he recognized as hers. “For safekeeping,”_

_Something crashed through a window, and one of Yagura’s assassins sprung up, sword drawn._

_Kisame reached back to grab at Samehada’s hilt, but the sword would not come out. He cursed, trying to reach for his spare dagger, but that refused to come out of its hilt as well._

_“Go!” Mei shouted, pushing him behind her. “I’ll take care of this,”_

_He didn’t turn his back as he heard the sound of the assassin melt due to her lava magic, instead taking the chance she gave him to take off._

“-And then I ran into Obito, and he told me to come here,” Kisame finished, staring down at the now empty cup of tea, the leaves settled to the bottom.

The witch hummed, reaching across and grabbing his cup of tea. He examined the leaves, a pensive look on his face.

“You’ve been cursed to be unable to draw any weapons in a battle, and if you have one drawn out prior to a battle, you will automatically be disarmed,” he said. “I’ll look into it,”

“Thank you,” Kisame sighed. “I don’t know how I’ll be able to repay you,”

The witch gave a small hint of a smile.

“You can start by doing the dishes,” he said. “Then, I’ll think of a better form of payment after I undo the curse,”

“I didn’t get your name,”

“I’m Itachi,” Itachi said, standing. “I’ll be in my room, working on this. Feel free to use the guest bedroom. Please, do not go into my library if you stay here. I’ll let you know when I’m done,”

With a quick wave of his hand, the book laying on the counter flew into his hand, and he turned, leaving Kisame alone.

Mei’s necklace felt heavy around Kisame’s neck, the lapis resting over his heart. It seemed to feel heavy every time Itachi was around, the swordsman watching the witch work his magic.

Itachi liked tea and sweet things. He liked to feed his crows at very specific times, and he enjoyed wrapping himself up in a knit blanket he kept on the couch as he scribbled down notes from different tomes. Kisame learned, over the course of the few days that he had stayed, that Itachi lived alone, and had a brother who travelled in a group of adventurers. He was young, only twenty-one but by the age of thirteen had been the most powerful in his family.

Kisame also learned that he had killed his father and mother, and that the remainder of the Uchiha family was just Obito, who travelled with his wife and friend, Itachi’s little brother, and their uncle, who apparently was a powerful sorcerer who lived far enough away that they never interacted with one another.

Itachi, however, was pleasant to be around. He had an alluring charm to him, and Kisame kept finding himself wanting to know more about this mysterious witch who holed himself up in his home, far away from the world. He wanted to break through the walls Itachi had built up and get to know him more, know every bit there was to know of him.

He was falling for the witch, and fast.

It was late at night, and the cool breeze rolling in from the window forced Kisame out of the guest bedroom and down the hall. Itachi’s bedroom door was open a crack, and from what he could see inside, he saw him surrounded by many books, murmuring quietly to himself. It was endearing, how cute Itachi looked in his sleeping robes, but Kisame wanted to get out and stretch his legs.

“If you’re going outside, go get some herbs for me,” Itachi called out, causing Kisame to freeze. “I heard you get out of bed. The list is on the bookshelf downstairs,”

How Kiri’s monster of a fighter became errand boy to a witch, he’d never know, but Kisame grabbed the list and headed off into the woods, the moonlight his only guide.

He was halfway through the list, picking some fresh lemon balm, when he heard the scream. A blood-curdling shriek that resounded throughout the empty woods, small critters dashing for cover. Amongst the screaming was high-pitched cackling, and the sickening sound of someone getting cut down.

It had to be nearby, and Kisame crouched down low to prevent himself from being seen. The laughter grew, the screams dying down into pained whimpers.

“Sweet blessing be to Lord Jashin, send your blessings to me,” the voice said, and Kisame peeked behind a tree to see who it was.

It was Hidan, from the bakery shop, drenched in blood as he thrust a pike through his chest, a tri-bladed scythe dripping with blood in hand. His skin changed, taking the appearance of death as the woman before him laid out in front of him, blood seeping from her mouth. The ritual circle he stood in was made from blood, and Kisame watched, bewildered as Hidan moaned in pleasure from the pain.

Once the woman drew her last breath, Hidan pulled the pike from his chest, turning into Kisame’s direction.

“Hey, you there!” he said, waving. “How’s Itachi?”

“He’s fine,” Kisame said, gripping the list of herbs in his hand.

“Tell that bastard to come visit us more often! The old crotchety fuck wants his cash,” Hidan waved the pike. “Not like he’s not stingy enough already,”

“Will do,”

“See ya around, fish face,” Hidan waved, heading back into the direction of town.

Itachi looked over at Kisame one morning over breakfast, watching him dig into the eggs he had made over the rim of his teacup.

Itachi was genuinely mad at himself. He found how to lift the curse last night on Kisame, but he was reluctant to do so.

Living in seclusion after Sasuke ran away to join his little band of adventurers had taken its toll on Itachi, and now that he had someone he woke up to and saw every day, he wanted to be selfish and keep him to himself. Kisame was handsome, strikingly so. Itachi had never seen someone quite like him, with his hulking frame, the gills on his shoulders and face piquing his interest. He liked sitting by the window while he worked in his library, watching Kisame swim in the pond, or watching him tend to his sentient sword. Kisame always offered to help him, and the help was greatly appreciated. He liked writing potion recipes while listening to Kisame tell him of his home back in Kiri, of his sorceress friend who failed more times than not, his adventurer friend who had adopted a young ward and set out to assassinate a high-profile politician. Just listening to his voice calmed Itachi. Now, thinking about the past two weeks being by his side coming to an end made his chest ache.

“Is there something on your mind, Itachi?” Kisame asked, taking a sip of tea.

“There’s a few things I would like you to get me while in town today,” Itachi lied, procuring a quick list of things to keep Kisame busy. “I’m almost done,”

“Of course,”

After breakfast, Itachi fed his crows as they swarmed around him, using his arms and shoulders as perches. He sent Kisame on his way to town, bag of money in hand.

As soon as he was alone, he set to work.

The small vial of pink liquid shone in the light of the sun as Itachi held it up, clear and potent. He crafted it from the supplies he had picked up when he last visited Sasori, tasteless and odorless.

All he had to do was put it in Kisame’s cup of tea tonight during dinner, and he could keep the swordsman to himself forever. He wanted to place him within the farthest corner of his heart and keep him there, safe and eternally his. His own magic burned like fire in his veins, but this feeling was warmer and safer rather than strong and dangerous. It was the warm feeling he got whenever Kisame burst into laughter over his sword eating something and attempting to chase after squirrels or Itachi’s crows now that his curse prevented him from using it. Anything Kisame seemed to do, like getting him his favorite sweets or picking up new tea blends that he thought Itachi might like made him the happiest he had been since Sasuke left. It was the feeling of something growing, spreading slowly but not unwanted.

Itachi frowned, setting the love potion down.

It was too selfish and too stupid of an idea. Kisame would never love him and forcing someone into the binding connection that is love was wrong.

He grabbed the vial and stored it away deep into his cabinet with the other potions he had crafted. He would just give it to Yahiko, the apprentice blacksmith in town, who always complained that he was madly in love with his best friends, and they loved him, but neither could say it.

Maybe the extra push would help him be happy.

Itachi almost laughed. Before he met Kisame, he would never think to help someone unless he got something in return. Feelings of affection was making him lose his sanity.

Kisame and Itachi fell into a nice routine over the course of the next month. Kisame would go out into town to run errands for Itachi while Itachi would cook meals and answer any question Kisame had on magic and enchantments. Itachi finally granted him access to his library, the room packed with bookshelf upon bookshelf of books on spells and incantations, ancient histories and alchemy guidebooks.

It was vastly different from the life of fighting Kisame had grown up with.

“The peaceful life isn’t made for someone like me,” Kisame said after dinner one night, helping wash while Itachi dried the dishes. Itachi paused in putting away the teacup Deidara had made him that he now called ‘Kisame’s teacup,’ waiting for his companion to continue without prodding.

“I killed people from my village for the ruler,” Kisame elaborated after a moment of contemplation, washing the bowl in his hand. “Only to get cursed and banished. I thought I would die a hero’s death by my sword, but I’m doing domestic work now, and it baffles me how I came to this,”

“Is it that boring and arduous a task?” Itachi asked. “I’m sorry for making you do chores, then,”

“No,” Kisame shook his head. “It’s nice. Thank you for your hospitality,”

A comfortable silence fell between them as Itachi smiled, taking the bowl from him.

Kisame barely noticed six months go by, as summer faded into fall and fall came a cold winter. As it turned out, Itachi was good at anything he set his mind to, and when it first snowed he knitted them matching sweaters, hats, mittens and scarves to keep out the chill.

“That’s quite the hat,” Konan teased. “Back with more fire salts?”

“Yeah,” Kisame said, handing her the bag. “Itachi said Yahiko mentioned needing them,”

“It’s hard to keep his forge hot during the winter,” she said, setting the bag back down and focusing on the piece of origami she had set down. Once the crane was finished, it began fluttering its wings, flying above their heads, Nagato peeking up over his book to look at it. “You seem quite smitten,”

“You look lovesick,” Nagato supplied, earning a laugh from the other room where Yahiko was. “Sasori might have something for that,”

Kisame would blame the burning of his cheeks on the warmth of their home, not on his feelings.

“When are you going to confess yet?” Kakuzu grumbled, thrusting the container of dango and pastries into Kisame’s arms. “I need to win my bet,”

Kisame shot a glare at him as Hidan poked his head out from the kitchen, where something smelled like it was burning.

“Old man wants to beat Sasori and Konan. Scorpion boy is betting a year. Kuzu says seven months. Konan says it’s any day now. Dei already lost,” he chimed in. “He just wants his money-”

“I said it’d take a month and you two are taking forever, hm,” Deidara said, rolling his eyes before going back to enjoying the food for his break.

The door to Kakuzu’s bakery slammed open, startling his familiars as they shrieked and went to their master. Samehada growled against Kisame’s back, unhappy to be woken up.

“ _There_ you are!” Mei said, a hand on her chest as she tried to catch her breath. “Where have you been these past six months? I’ve been looking all over for you!”

“I went to the witch Obito told me about,” Kisame said.

“How’s my charm working?” Mei asked, coming over to snatch the pendant up. “It was supposed to have a tracking charm so that I could follow you, but I messed up a rune,”

“What does it do?” Deidara asked, being nosy.

“It leads you to the person you will end up falling in love with,” Mei said. “It’s my fault it’s wrong, Kisame. You know how I am with romance and things. I’m sorry,”

Maybe Mei’s mix-up wasn’t so wrong. Kisame grabbed his sweets and took off, leaving behind an angry Kakuzu and a very confused Mei.

The house was always warm, mainly from Itachi’s fire magic but it just felt warm like how home is supposed to feel. Kisame barely had time to remember to shut the door behind him as he ran into the living room, halting in his steps as his eyes landed on the sleeping form on the couch.

Itachi was bundled up under a heavy knit blanket, a heavy spell book resting on his chest, the steady rise and fall almost causing the book to slip. He looked so at peace, face relaxed as he slept.

His lips were parted just slightly, and Kisame felt the fire the witch had started in his chest become unbearable as he knelt down beside his sleeping form, placing a small kiss to his lips. Itachi’s lips were warm and soft, just as he had expected, and though the kiss only lasted a second, Kisame could still feel the burn against his own. It was different than Mei’s, whose kisses could literally melt men where they stood. It was a nice burn, one that made his lips tingle from the contact. He was so transfixed by how light he felt, how calming it was to recognize his feelings, the warmth of love brought to him by the witch that he didn’t notice Itachi stirring from his nap, blinking his eyes owlishly at Kisame.

“Did you get the angelica root?” he asked tiredly, rubbing his eyes. “Why are you staring at me like that?”

“You’re beautiful,” Kisame whispered, Itachi sitting upright and looking at him as if he had just sprouted two heads. “I don’t care about you fixing the curse anymore. I just want to stay by your side, if you would let me,”

Itachi smiled softly at Kisame, shifting to grab his hands with his.

“Kisame,” Itachi said, red eyes wide. “I lifted the curse two months ago,”

“What?”

“I did it when we were having dinner one night,” Itachi said. “I’m sorry. I was being selfish. I just really enjoyed your company, and I was worried that you wouldn’t want to stay once I told you,”

“Of course I would stay. I think I love you,”

Itachi smiled, a genuine smile Kisame rarely saw.

“I think I love you, too,” he said before he grabbed Kisame’s face and pulled him into a kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know how you liked/disliked it! I'm open to critique.  
> Thank you so much for reading!


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